LAKE“Walk me through it.” He led me to the Gunner Room, or the situation room, where his men had access to all the CCTV they could access and the body cams of their men in action.After I told him everything I knew so far, minus the fantastic, mind-blowing sex last night, he ordered his men.The sex was incredible. I could still feel my entire body buzzing in satisfaction. And I didn’t have a clue it was goodbye sex.“Can you access her phone?”“Are you insulting my capability, Mr. Winston?” asked the eyeglasses.“Just do it, Don,” Linden said dismissively.“Uh-huh. It just shut off,” Don said in dismay.“What do you mean? What about her car?” I was about to tell him the plate number, but her GPS just flashed on the screen.“It’s on the third and fourth street,” he announced.Linden nodded and ordered the control man with a mic, “Get a team to that location.”Linden had just finished his order when the car seemed to stop moving or the GPS went off.“What the fuck? It looks like we’re
MAVERICKTerzo stopped asking questions since then. He brought me to a small villa in Marettimo instead of Sicily. He said I was in the right place if I wanted to hide from someone. Since he was far richer than me and people around here and Sicily knew him, he took care of the rent. That was a week ago. He didn’t call, and I did not reach out as well.I hadn’t seen him after that besides some random guy who brought some groceries, coffee, or pastries, and damn, the Cassatelle. It was so good. I would gain weight if I wouldn’t be cautious.I heard the door locked. Terzo trusted his men so much that he gave them the Villa key.“What do you have for me today? Muccunetti?” I stopped my Yoga in the backyard.“Have you been eating?” I stiffened at his voice behind me.“It’s nice of you to show up.” I turned around and smiled. It even felt weird to smile. I cried every night until I stopped. Maybe my eyes or my body just gave up. Everything had an end. Even a robot malfunctioned—what more fo
LAKEYesterday was the best feeling I’ve had in a while. Winston Holdings had finally accepted my resignation. I sold my share, and the company was on the brink of collapse.I felt a huge accomplishment, and I just told my father what a manipulative sociopath he was. It felt so good that I finally got it off my chest.Although my heart was breaking for my wife leaving me without explanation, I felt relieved that somehow everything was becoming clearer. My wife was a victim of blackmail and threats.I answered my phone when it rang. “Yeah?”“Winston?” Hope rose in my chest when I recognized the caller.“Terzo.”“I’m sending you random pictures. You might know the other guys. Don’t worry about the Italian. I took care of him.”“What do you mean?”“Someone blackmailed my sister.”“Fuck you.” I spat out in vain. “You told me you didn’t know where she was.”“Well, I lied. I’m a criminal, remember? I’m a liar.”Fuck. “For just one second, be serious with me, Terzo.”“It’s a good thing that
LAKE“Hey, man.” Rusher was smiling from ear to ear as if he hadn’t been stabbing me in the back and stealing millions of money from the company. How could I detect it if he’d been blackmailing my accountant for years? “It’s Saturday. What’s the emergency?”“Have a seat while we’re waiting for others to arrive.” I was the first to arrive as I read random numbers from the report I received last night. The company’s financial department worked hard day and night to finish what I’d asked them to do. They deserved a raise for coming up with a quick analysis.“Is there a new project that I don’t know about?” No matter how good he was at lying, the truth would always come out when a person was guilty. I could feel the tension in his muscles, and he started fidgeting.I ignored his question and checked my messages and call logs, hoping Maverick would just reach out. I admired her and loved her even more for sacrificing her happiness, even our marriage to protect me and her grandmother.Finch
MAVERICK“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I screamed in silence in the bathroom as I stared at the last set of pregnancy kits, revealing the same result. All five of them seemed to be mocking me with taunting positive signs.“Fuck. Why now? When my life is still a mess.” My heart squeezed hard. There was no question about how I missed my pills. I knew exactly when it happened.I quickly tossed everything into the plastic bags and dropped it into the trash basket. I wasn’t shocked by the result. Since I arrived here, I hadn’t been on a period, but I still prayed I was not pregnant.My situation wasn’t exactly ideal for being pregnant right now, but the stars seemed not to have aligned with my prayers these days.***“The first question everyone wants to know is why you resigned as the Chief Operating Officer at Winston Holdings. Do you know the effect of your resignation and being one of the major shareholders can make this impact on the company’s possible bankruptcy?”“First of all, thank you for
LAKEAll the rage that filled my chest evaporated like molten lava. Even my breathing changed as I finally had a chance to get a face-to-face with my father.My eyes narrowed and steady as I glared down at him. “If you ever threaten me and my wife again, her family, and my mother, I swear I don’t care. Even if I go to jail, I will drag you down with me. This is the last time I ever see your face again, or I file a restraining order against you.”He just lifted his gaze at me in his chair in his massive office. What happened to the manipulative father I knew? Was he succumbing to his downfall?“Wow. Now, this is new.” I snorted. “What happened to the narcissistic father who controlled me all my life?”“I did it for your own good. You wouldn’t be—”“Really? So you admitted your narcissism? Do you think you made me stronger, fiercer, smarter? No. You made me madder. You traumatized my entire existence. You made me your mockery. You are the first person who broke my heart, Dad. Now that I
LAKE“No.” I swallowed down my emotions. Owen and Homer might have sensed something went wrong inside my father’s office.“That’s sad. I missed her, honey. You should go and take her home.”“She chose to stay. Why would I?”“What’s upsetting you, Lake?” she asked and must have sensed the heaviness of anger in my voice.I squeezed my eyes shut when it began to burn and pressed my fingers against my aching temple. “Is Dad sick? Is it true? Aurelia just told me, and I don’t believe a word coming from that woman’s mouth.”When I heard her sigh, she didn’t have to say yes.I blinked off the tears behind my lids. “How long have you known?”She went quiet momentarily before she spoke, “Your father tried to conceal it from anyone until you came back to take over the seat. If Aurelia told you, then this is not good.”“So, it’s been fuck— it’s been months, and he didn’t even tell me. Instead, he chose to hurt my wife. He chose the hardest fucking way to convince me to turn away from my wife. Wh
MAVERICKI rushed outside, surrendering to my humiliation. My chest filled with regrets as I succumbed to my heartbreak. I cried in silence, gripping the wall, holding on to my dear life when I felt like I was about to collapse and I couldn’t breathe.“Mrs. Winston?”I bit my bottom to stifle my cry, but it still slipped out. I punched the elevator button, but it somehow didn’t work until Owen pressed his card.I was so stupid to come back and think it would be the same. He helped me inside the elevator as I hid my face and cried against the wall.“He’s been stressed out. I’m glad you’re back.”I shook my head repeatedly.“Let’s get back inside.”“No. I’m going to Nana.” I wiped my tears with the back of my hand as I tried to stand straight, still holding my suitcase.“Your grandmother has been staying at your home.”“Home?” I met his gaze.“Yes. I will take you there.”“No.”Once we reached the parking area, I walked past him, dragging my suitcase away while he followed me easily.“A